


Down Under

by hemiptera



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Spies & Secret Agents, Conspiracy Theories, Gen, Private Investigators, Secret Society, i cant tell if this is a joke
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-01-06
Packaged: 2021-03-11 07:20:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28467447
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hemiptera/pseuds/hemiptera
Summary: Skeos is a washed up private eye, deemed a lunatic for his claims. No one will listen to him when he says that something is off with the people of DreamSMP, an import-export enterprise.His theories are taken as the desperate shouts of a crazed man, but Skeos isn't crazy. In fact, he might have been the sanest of them all.With the help of a few allies made, Skeos fights to uncover the truth about DreamSMP. To clear his name and try to prove to everyone that he's still got it.Maybe he still does.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 9





	1. Preface

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so this is the first Skeos fanfic I've ever attempted to write.... well actually it's the first Skeos fanfic kinda ever, but those are the finicky details. Let's hope this works as well as my brain wants it to.

Case 690 230

codename: Skeos

Skeos sighed and set down his pen. What was the point? The last job he had taken just about drained all the excitement from his life. Being a private investigator was his dream, it was his ultimate goal. He was made to follow leads and piss off the cops. He was born to solve the world’s unsolvables. But lately, it was like no one remembered who he was. Just last year, the name Skeos was spoken with awe and respect, but all it was now was a mockery. A reminder of his fatal misstep.

A year ago, Skeos had was coming down off his peak case, he had just outshined the California State Sheriffs’ Association in a significant case, and it had him feeling cocky. The CSSA had rallied all their resources but hadn’t been able to find the governor’s daughter. It made national news: “California Police Struggle With Missing Persons Case!” it had read. And when Skeos followed their trail and found the girl out in Sonoma, he was suddenly in the public’s eye. It was amazing, he felt like a celebrity. But then, 6 months later, he made his last mistake.

For those 6 months after his big break, he basked in the spotlight and solved every case the public threw at him, he eased the nation’s growing worry and swooped in like the hero they needed. All the attention go to his head, and he started thinking he wouldn’t- _couldn’t_ \- make a mistake. He was wrong, and he proved it during a particularly sketchy case. He should have seen it coming, honestly. Should have seen the signs. But Skeos was already deep within the notion that he could do no wrong and all the red flags looked green. He readily accepted the case, a simple under the table theft investigation. He’d solved hundreds before, it didn’t seem off. Neither did the way his client refused to be named. Nor did the almost hand crafted clues laid out for him. It couldn’t have been a setup, not to Skeos, anyway. 

A long and boorish story told short- from embarrassment or trauma, who knows- Skeos fell right into the carefully constructed ruse. He was led down a rabbit hole, and when he couldn’t find his way back out, he caused five people’s deaths. Two of which were his partners and only friends. It ruined him, both publicly and emotionally. After the details went public, the name Skeos wasn’t said with pride any longer. It was whispered in hushed passings, dripping with shame and disappointment. After two weeks of the new national scorn, Skeos didn’t leave his apartment much. He _hadn’t_ left much in the almost 5 months since his fall from fame. He still took jobs occasionally, the mundane and unknowing clients with boring little lives and boring little scuffles. It was humiliating.

So that’s where he sat, sighing down at the client list, tapping his pen against his cheek, wishing there was something he could do.

Was there?

Before his claim to fame, he had a habit of flipping through news channels, hoping to find something. Back then, he didn’t have a reputation, and work was scarce. He depended on himself for leads, and it worked on occasion.

He flopped onto the couch across his office and switched through the evening news channels, yawning by the time he rounded through KSBW for the fifth time. He was tired, and definitely ready to shut off the TV sitting lazily in front of him. It was embarrassing. The picture on the screen stood stagnant, mocking even. It was a pointless thing to do anyway. What possessed him to think his old desperate tactics would work, especially at 7:30 on a tuesday? It wasn’t bad luck, it was stupid reasoning.

He tossed the remote onto the seat beside him and jumped when the channel clicked past with a gentle whir. _Ugh_. It was annoying enough that he couldn’t get results, but now even the remote was against him. As he reached for the cursed thing, though, he heard something that grabbed his attention.

“The conspiracy around DreamSMP and the gated site; are they who they seem to be?”

And just like that, it was gone. The picture on the screen flipped from the panned out drone shot of the DreamSMP headquarters to an infomercial, a blurred jade necklace replaced the 20 story buildings and the announcer continued gawking over the jewelry as if they hadn’t just given him the break he needed.

In a split second, it was decided. Tomorrow, he’d follow the fresh lead. 


	2. Time and Time Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Skeos digs around the internet to find information on DreamSMP...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here we go again,,

Skeos woke up the next morning feeling better than he had in the last 6 months. A weight had seemingly dipped off his shoulders for the night as he had drifted into sweet dreams of redemption and fame. By the time he opened his eyes, though, slight traces of the weight returned to its place. Because it was just that, a dream. Skeos knew he had the chance to prove himself once again, but doing so wouldn’t be easy.

As he yawned and rolled out of his unmade bed, his mood was very conflicting. His heart felt like flying out of his chest at the thought of restoring his good name, but his mind had tucked his worries into a safe space where they remained unwavered by his uplifting mood. It was bittersweet. 

His office was connected to his apartment, the living room converted into a paranoid cave of investigations and client lists. Other than the office, there was a single bathroom, bedroom, and kitchen space. A kitchen that was calling Skeos’ name.

He walked slowly into the small room, the pale beige walls staring at him while he rubbed the heavy sleep from his eyes. After about 45 seconds of blinding eye rubbing, Skeos stumbled forward towards the counter and flipped on the coffee maker. He’d need it today more than ever. The machine whirred in front of him after being properly prepared to his liking and he wandered to the fridge.

The only things in it were an opened can of olives, 7 loose eggs, a half empty carton of juice, and an empty Britta. Ouch.

He settled on grabbing a few of the eggs and hummed as he effortlessly cracked them into a small pan on the stovetop. As the eggs under the flames started to solidify and fluff up at the edges, Skeos let himself wander into thought.

The channel that had shown him his lead was obviously suspicious, he wasn’t an idiot, things like that don’t just _appear_. Conspiracy channels don’t just appear while television surfing and they definitely don’t suddenly disappear. Skeos had already gone through the thought that maybe the infomercial meant more than it led on, but when he went back to check late in the quiet hours of the night, it had remained the same. Just a late night shopping channel. There had to be a reason for it all, but Skeos just couldn’t see any connection. Perhaps he simply didn’t know enough…

He let his breakfast fall from the pan onto a small plate. The coffee in his mug ran burning hot, but his hunger for adventure ran hotter and muted the pain in his palm. He hurried through the doorway connecting his kitchen to his office and plopped down at the dark and polished rosewood desk. The plate and mug went barely noticed in the corner of the desk, Skeos having shoved them away to make room for his laptop.

As he opened the black computer, he shook the hand that been holding the heavily steaming mug. Being excited didn’t make him immortal. He curled his now cooling hand into a fist a few painful times before turning back to the loading screen in front of him. Eventually, the little white box appeared and he entered his passcode, the muscle memory flashing through his mind after years of moving his fingers gracefully across the weathered keyboard. Years he didn’t have to waste anymore.

He eagerly trailed his cursor over the chrome icon and clicked, his breaths coming out shallow and unheard. The anticipation was suffocating. The binding white took over his laptop’s screen and he leaned back, shoving egg into his mouth without taking his eyes off the glowing window into another world.

New tab.

_DreamSMP_...

About 17,200,000 results (0.43 seconds)

DreamSMP - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org > wiki > DreamSMP

_Clic k_

DreamSMP is an American multinational shipping company based in Orlando, Florida, which focuses on foreign import, export, trading, and shipping. It is considered one of the biggest companies in the U.S. export industry, along with Apple, Intel, Johnson & Johnson, and Pfizer. The company has been referred to as "one of the most influential economic and global forces in the world", as well as the world's most cautious brand.

DreamSMP was founded by faceless CEO, Dream, in Florida, on September 9th, 2002. The company started as an online lookout for foreign products but expanded to ship electronics, software, apparel, furniture, food, toys, and jewelry. In 2019, DreamSMP surpassed Amazon as the most valuable retailer in the United States by market capitalization. In 2020, DreamSMP acquired L’manberg for US$11.9 billion, which substantially increased its footprint as a global enterprise. In early 2021, Dream announced the company plans to expand in the coming summer.

_Huh…_

Skeos obviously knew of DreamSMP but had never really paid attention to the goings on through the years. Maybe he should start… the conspiracy had wailed about the elusive nature of the company, and even hearing the few and scattered words about the CEO of the company, Skeos had to agree. An alias, and a hidden identity while running a company like that. Even Dream himself had to admit that looked quite strange from the outside.

The article had given Skeos his first step at least. DreamSMP was based in Florida. Well, he’d always wanted to fly across the country. 

New tab.

Here we go, it’s all or nothing. Alaska airlines… business class… 

Skeos was about to book the flight back but hesitated. Realistically he didn’t know how long he’d stay in Florida, or when he’d get the chance to come back home.

One way flight, successfully booked.

He had two weeks to prepare.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im sorry, i meant for this chapter to be longer, next one hopefully

**Author's Note:**

> okay yeah it's super short for the first chapter, soz, I just needed to work out the format and how I wanted it to work, but the other chapters will definitely be longer and I'll be writing them as soon as I can :00
> 
> OH also the exposition is super forced because I couldn't really find a good transition but I'll be working on it teehee


End file.
